What to consider when you’re reviewing profiles on the platform.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but hear me out.

Linkedin is arguably a must-have business tool in the HR/Recruiting space. The capabilities and services available on the platform have obviously changed the game for talent sourcing, analytics, insights and networking. But I want to caution anyone who is viewing a Linkedin profile, that you can not view or assess a profile the same way you would a resume, and here’s why.

Linkedin is a SOCIAL MEDIA platform, for networking.

There are a number of reasons that people might be using Linkedin, and it may not be to appease a hiring manager or recruiter or get a traditional job. That is to say, some people set up their linkedin profiles for different purposes. Some use it purely for social connections, some people are using it as a platform for content creation and monetization. Some people set up their linkedin profile because they thought they had to (I’m talking to you – no picture profile!). The point is – you can’t JUDGE a profile the same way you JUDGE a resume. You also can’t have expectations of a Linkedin profile the same way you might for a resume.

The sole purpose of a resume is to document career history and accomplishments for potential employers (i.e. use it to get a job!). Therefore, good resume or bad, qualified or not, we the receiver have a baseline intent to start our assessment from.

Everyone crafts their Linkedin profile differently.

I would be very rich if I had a dime for every time I reviewed a resume after finding someone on Linkedin and thought – “WHOA, this person is SO much more qualified than I thought, or, conversely, YIKES, this person just doesn’t have the breadth of experience I thought they had.

Everyone builds their Linkedin profile differently. Many people still feel uncomfortable with any public social media profiles, so they keep their information extremely limited. Perhaps they don’t use a photo, or they might only have one or two jobs listed and maybe they don’t include dates or specific job titles….it is, after all – NOT A RESUME! This is also completely the prerogative of the person, and we should not assume they don’t care about their career enough to add more detail, or make any judgements about their work based on their profile. Some people just prefer a more private existence! Maybe they feel obligated to have a profile so they don’t miss out on making connections in their field, but they don’t want their entire professional life available for public consumption.

After years of social media use, I think we forget this: some people prefer privacy.

NOW – obviously, we can argue what these folks ARE missing out on by not beefing up their profiles, but that’s not what this article is about….stay with me.

Titles and dates don’t need to be as specific on Linkedin – and that’s OK!

Because of the social networking application of Linkedin, we don’t have to use specific job titles or specific dates of employment, or even capture detailed work history. This platform is a branding tool, and people are going to use it to brand themselves for the audience they want to connect with. I’m not suggesting people lie about their jobs by any means, but if you fail to include the Sr./VP/Director/Coordinator/Associate/Manager – job level differentiator on your title on LI – I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

Details, Details, Details..

Rarely do I see a Linkedin Profile that captures job specific details such as career accomplishments, or responsibilities. It’s becoming more popular as more people are out of work – and using LI for job hunting, but historically, this has not been common. So what this means, as a recruiter or hiring manager, you’re left with a list of work history or “job titles” and maybe some educational confirmation at best. Making assumptions about those job titles is a dangerous game – as we all know many companies use different titles for similar work and different titles for similar job levels, etc.

The moral of this story is pretty simple – if you’re recruiting (as a Hiring leader or recruiter), do your due diligence and try to get a resume before you make any final assessments about an individual. Don’t use their Linkedin profile as anything more than a rough outline of someone’s niche/function or area of expertise.

Happy Hunting!

Jaylene